The document emphasizes the importance of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in fostering children’s holistic development and school readiness, particularly in the critical early years before formal schooling. It outlines national policies and programs that promote ECCE as a foundational support system for primary education, highlighting initiatives under the Integrated Child Development Services and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Additionally, it discusses the necessity for training and resources to improve pre-school education quality and the integration of ECCE with primary education.

1. School
ReadineSS
S.K.Kantha

2. Why is early school success so
important?
 Early school years are a “critical period” for
learning and development
 Preschool and early experiences enhance
school success
 How quickly children adjust across settings
increases their success – so supporting
success across the transition is important

3. OBJECTIVES OF ECCE
 Promotes holistic development of child
 Prepares child for formal schooling
 Contributes in Universal Elementary
Education
 Reduces wastage and stagnation at
primary school

4. ECCE IN NATIONAL POLICIES
AND PROGRAMS
National Policy on Education 1986
 ECCE as feeder and support programme to
primary schooling & as first step in the
education ladder
 Emphasized need for play based and joyful
ECCE
 Warned against formal teaching of the 3R’s
(reading, writing and arithmetic )

5.  Constitutional Commitments : Article 45:The
State shall endeavour to provide ECCE for all
Children until they complete the age of six years.
 Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act
, 2009 : Age 6 to 14 years - Class 1 to 8
 Section 11 : Pertains to ECCE ‘ ’With a view to prepare
children above the age of three years for elementary
education and to provide ECCE for all children until they
complete the age of six years, the appropriate government
may take necessary arrangement for providing free pre
primary education for such children

6. PROVISIONS OF ECCE
In Public Domain
 Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS)
 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ( SSA)

7. PROVISIONS OF ECCE
In Private Domain
 Pre-primary class in private schools
 Private play-schools
 Voluntary organizations
 ECCE centres under Corporate Social
Responsibility of Corporate Houses

8. INTEGRATED CHILD
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
 One of the world’s unique and largest
outreach programme
 One of the eight flagship programmes of GOI
 Functions through community based
Anganwadi Centers (AWCs)
 Largest public provider of ECCE in India :
 76 million children - 0-6 years
 16 million - pregnant & lactating women

9. ECCE IN THE CONTEXT OF
SARVA SHIKSHA
ABHIYAN(SSA)
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11. EMPHASIS ON ECCE UNDER SSA
 The SSA realizes the importance of ECCE and
its role in improving participation of children
in schools.
 Specific support to strengthen the PSE
component of ICDS will be made available.
 Support from SSA may be made available for
opening new ECCE centers in habitations not
covered by ICDS and where state governments
want to start new centers.
 In areas where a new ICDS center is coming
up it will be necessary to work in conjunction
with ICDS.
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12. SOME ILLUSTRATIVE INTERVENTIONS
 Strengthening PSE component of ICDS by
providing for additional worker, material for
play and learning and personnel development.
 Setting up of Balwadis as pre school centers in
uncovered areas.
 Generating awareness about the need and
significance of ECCE through advocacy
measures.
 Organizing training programmes for
community leaders.
 Providing for intensive planning for ECCE. 4

13.  Development of material for ECCE related
activities.
 Promoting convergence between the ECCE
and the school system.
 A provision of Rs.15 lakh per year per district
for innovative interventions including for
ECCE.
 The district Elementary Education plan has to
have a plan for ECCE in accordance with the
facility already created under the ICDS.
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14.  The supplementary support for ECCE in the form
of honoraria for pre school teacher, training of
Anganwadi workers, play and learning materials
for children, etc.could be provided.
 Recognizing the continuum of learning and
development, SSA would make all efforts to
develop a integrated approach to meet the needs
of pre school children.
(School readiness programme for children entering
class I without pre school experience at the
beginning of class I would be an important aspect
of SSA implementation)
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15. PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
 Learning starts from birth.
 Learning is cumulative and has a continuum.
 Children construct knowledge.
 First six years are crucial for developing active
learning capacity among children and to a great
extent decide the success and failure in school.
 Children learn by doing/exploration.
 Experiencing success is important for child.
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16. RESEARCH EVIDENCE
 Exposure to ECCE facilitates retention in primary
grades. The range of increase being 8.04%-20.52%.
 The retention is higher for girls, SC/ST children
(Impact of ECCE on Retention in Primary Grades – a
study conducted in 8 states in a sample of 32000
children).
 70% parents opined that they will try hard to reopen
the AWC while responding to a question- “what will
you do if AWC is closed”?
 Their perception of AWC is of a school.
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17.  The quality of PSE is defined by
parents in terms of plenty of play
material, teaching of three R’s and
regularity and good behaviour of the
worker.
(Study of PSE component of
ICDS..conducted by NCERT in 1998 with a
sample of 90000 children in 8 states)
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18. SCHOOL READINESS
 More than half of the children enter class I
without PSE.
 Children with PSE show higher scores on
readiness variables than children without PSE
and the difference was significant at .05 level
for M.P. sample.
 Majority of children were found lacking in
reading readiness especially in aspects of
auditory discrimination and audio-visual
association.
 In number readiness the weak areas were
seriation and sequential thinking.
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19.  On the basis of above inference drawn is that
school readiness programme of two month’s
duration , for children entering class I without
any PSE , in the beginning of class I would be
essential for adjustment in school and
benefiting from classroom transactions.
(Numeracy and Reading Readiness Levels of
Entrants to Class I; A study under DPEP in
four states: NCERT 1996).
 Training of class I teachers in school readiness
should become an important activity under
SSA till all children get ECCE coverage.
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20. LINKAGE WITH PRIMARY
 Linkage between pre school and primary
education has resulted in increased
participation of children especially girls.
 Presence of overage and underage children
poses challenge for planning curriculum and
its transaction.
 It also indicates the need for placement
/mainstreaming of children in primary school.
 Resource sharing has also posed certain initial
problems.
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21.  Making ECCE timings co-terminus with primary
school demands enhanced care facilities for younger
children.
 Developing joint monitoring and supervision
mechanism has remain superficial. It would require
sustained efforts.
 Extending play-way approach to early primary classes
has also remained superficial. It would also require
constant efforts.
 Use of play material supplied under DPEP has been
inappropriate and ineffective. Using material
effectively should be focused in training programmes
(DPEP evaluation studies).
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22. TRAINING IN ICDS/DPEP
 Quality of Training in ICDS.
 Quality of Training in DPEP.
 The Need for Field based /need based training
strategy.
 Capacity building at different levels and
Identifying resource/responsibility centers at
national,state,sub-state,district and sub-
district (i.e. at NCERT,
SCERTs,DIETs,BRCs,CRCs) for pre service/
in-service training in child care/pre school
education / linkage with primary education.
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23. CONVERGENCE BETWEEN ICDS
AND EDUCATION SECTORS
 Convergence in terms of nutritional and
health care inputs.
 Joint training programmes, linkage with
Udisha.
 Sustainability of centres opened under
DPEP.
 Joint monitoring mechanism.
 Common indicators for monitoring progress
of children.
 Coordination mechanism at various levels
(National to Sub-District). 31

24. ADVOCATING CHILD FRIENDLY
CURRICULUM/METHODS
 A balanced/development oriented
programme.
 Use of local /culturally relevant material.
 Discouraging teaching of three R’s.
 Adopting play-way method.
 Community ownership/resource mobilization.
 Relating pre school with primary education.
 Significance of early stimulation activities.
 Ensuring minimum essential facilities. 32

25. POLICY AND FUNDING
RELATED ISSUES
 Flexible policy guidelines.
 Adequacy of allocation earmarked.
 Whose responsibility is PSE ?
 Clarity in role and functions among
different sectors as ECCE is inter-
sectoral programme.
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